“Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among the maidens.” (Song of Songs 2:2)

Sunday, April 27, 2008

A Little Girl Again

We took a family "rosary-walk" tonight at dusk — such a tranquil time. All was still. The inky silhouettes of the trees lay against the smooth indigo sky.

Dad likes to for us all to stay near each other as we pray the rosary, so he has us walk in two lines of three, holding hands. For a time, I ended up between Mom and Dad. It's been a long time since I've had one of my hands in each of theirs. It was comforting and secure...for a bit I felt like a small girl again.

I am infinitely blessed with parents who are selfless, wise, and so present. Any gifts and strengths that have been cultivated in me have been largely from their loving training. From the haven of a home filled with Faith and growing in love by the grace of God working through and despite our human struggles.

This kind of home is recognized by many, including our Holy Fathers, as crucial to the growth and health of society.

“Many people ask: why are families so important? Why does the Church so insist on the topic of marriage and the family? The reason is simple, even if not everyone can understand it: the future of the human person, his happiness, his capacity for giving life meaning all depend on the family… As the family goes, so goes the world.” (John Paul II)

“The family is a kind of school of deeper humanity. But if it is to achieve the full flowering of its life and mission, it needs the kindly communion of minds and the joint deliberation of spouses, as well as the painstaking cooperation of parents in the education of their children.” (Gaudium et Spies: The Church in the Modern World)

“Today, if they are to give a truly human face to society, no people can ignore the precious good of the family, founded on marriage.” (Benedict XVI)

Let us pray for the healing of the family. For the restoration of homes where prayer, work, play, and service foster the kind of unity that in turn, strengthens all of society!

"As the family goes, so goes the world." Ahhh, it is only too true. Our society is crumbling because its families are disintegrating. We can not have a strong society, nor a peaceful world, unless our families are strong and peaceful. And yet, in our global world, the need for this is stronger, and more difficult, than ever.